Italian Mafia: 200 convicted in 'Ndrangheta trial
A former Italian senator, a former police chief, a former mayor and two former regional councilors were among 207 defendants convicted on Monday in Italy's largest mafia trial since the 1980s.
In a three-year "maximum trial", people with alleged links to the country's most powerful mafia group, the 'Ndrangheta, were found guilty of mafia ties, extortion, drug trafficking and murder.
Forty-two women were among the defendants, 39 of whom were convicted. More than 100 defendants were acquitted.
A panel of three judges, who had been considering the case since the end of the trial in October, took an hour and 40 minutes to reach a verdict that totaled more than 2,200 years in prison.
Rise
The trial took place in a converted call center in the Calabrian region of Lamezia Terme, a town historically a stronghold of the 'Ndrangheta. The authorities held trials at this location to assert state power.
The high-security makeshift courtroom is large enough to accommodate 600 lawyers and 900 witnesses and is equipped with cages for the defendants.
The 'Ndrangheta, the poor cousin of the Mafia and the Camorra, has emerged over the years as the most powerful criminal organization in Italy and the world. The company operates in more than 100 countries and has estimated annual revenue of $50 billion to $100 billion.
The group is believed to run 80 percent of Europe's cocaine trade and controls much of the illegal arms trade around the world, selling weapons to both sides of Syria's civil war.
The convictions of numerous local officials, businessmen and politicians linked to the 'Ndrangheta demonstrate how deeply the organization has penetrated Italy's legitimate economy and state institutions.
"Musician" and "Wolf"
The most prominent defendant is Giancarlo Pittelli, a lawyer and former senator from former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. He was sentenced to eleven years in prison for mafia association charges.
Among those sentenced on Monday was Domenico Tomaino, known as "The Wolf", who left a dead dolphin on the doorstep of a businessman who was in debt. Meanwhile, accused tribe bosses Francesco "Fat" Barbieri and "Musician" Vincenzo Barba were sentenced to 24 and 28 years in prison respectively.
The investigation began in 2016 and focused on the Mancuso family and their associates. The clan is one of the most powerful of the 150 families that make up the 'Ndrangheta.
In December 2019, some 2,500 police officers coordinated raids on suspects. The indictment includes 24,000 wiretaps and statements from more than 50 former 'Ndrangheta members who agreed to cooperate with authorities, including Luigi Mancuso's nephew Emanuele.
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Source: www.casino.org
